It’s been over five years since Avengers: Infinity War stuck a Hulk-sized wedge into pop culture and established the MCU as the media mega-giant it is today, and while the internet may have had a bit of a back and forth over whether Thanos was right back then, there was one thing that we all seemed to be in agreement of; Star-Lord was wrong.
Indeed, after Star-Lord doomed half the universe by aggravating Thanos back into full consciousness as the rest of Iron Man’s posse of heroes came within inches of getting the Infinity Gauntlet off, the ex-Ravager became public enemy number one for many a Marvel lover.
Now, we’re not sure if this is a case of time healing all wounds or the internet necessitating counterpoints for the sake of counterpoints, but it seems like defending Quill’s actions has grown in popularity since then; perhaps a side effect of the recent release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? In any case, the jury of r/marvelstudios seems to be out on this topic.
Of the points raised in the original post, one responder identified the final one as the strongest defense for Quill, specifically the fact that, as we learned from Doctor Strange, there was only one reality where the heroes come out and top, and since they ultimately did in the end, it was necessary for Quill to punch Thanos.
But another user pointed out that that doesn’t directly absolve Quill of any blame; at the time, Quill wasn’t aware that Doctor Strange was pulling bigger strings to ensure they all came out on top, so his actions took absolutely zero consequences into account.
But whether one sides with Quill or not, he was ultimately the reason that we got to watch Avengers: Endgame (or Infinity War as we know it, for that matter), and that has to count for something.
All’s well that ends well, as they say, and with Quill gearing up for a new adventure in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, now is as good a time as any to let bygones be bygones, even if he was a bit out of line in dooming half the universe for five years.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now playing in theaters.